GB2208597A

GB2208597A - Fitted bed sheets

Info

Publication number: GB2208597A
Application number: GB8818980A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Macdonald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-08-14
Filing date: 1988-08-10
Publication date: 1989-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2008-08-10
Also published as: GB8818980D0; NZ225834A; AU2094588A; US4912790A; CA1256222A; GB2208597B; AU611470B2

Description

FITTED BED SHEETS 2208597

The present invention relates to the field of bed sheets. In particular, the present invention provides a novel method of manufacturing a fitted sheet, and novel sheets produced by that method.

Fitted sheets, in general, are sheets which are sewn to fit snuggly on a mattress, with sewn corners corresponding to the corners of a mattress. Usually, the ends of a fitted sheet, between the sewn corners, are provided with a sewn-in elastic. Alternatively, an elastic may be sewn-in around the perimeter of the sheet, connecting all four sewn corners, or a short piece of elastic may be sewn at each corner, extending a short distance in each of the length-wise and width-wise directions. In each case mentioned, however, a two-step process is followed: the corners are sewn to create a box-like arrangement, and then elastic is applied as noted above, to at least a portion of the perimeter. This is a labourintensivq operation, and fairly time consuming.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel fitted sheet construction and a manufacturing technique for same.

-1 In one broad aspect, the present invention relates to a fitted bed sheet including: (i) a substantially rectangular main body portion of substantially the same dimensions as a selected mattress; (ii) side portions extending from the sides of said main body portion and terminating in longitudinal edges; (iii) end portions extending from the ends of said main body portion and I terminating in end edges; and (iv) substantially vertical corner seams Joining the side portions to the adjacent end portions, each seam extending from an inner end at a corner of said main body portion to an outer end at the junction of a longitudinal edge and an end edge, said side edges and end edges thereby being joined together to define a perimeter. The bed sheet to which the present,invention relates is provided with elastic in at least a portion of said perimeter, to permit said sheet to fit snuggly around a mattress. The fitted bed sheet of the present invention is characterized in that said vertical corner seams are at least partly elasticized.

The fitted bed sheet of the present invention, in an advantageous embodiment, is further characterized in that said end edges are the portion of said perimeter which is elasticized.

-icized along their Furthermore, said vertical seams may be elast entire length. In one embodiment, said side and end portions are substantially rectangular with lateral edges which are sewn seams. Moreover, said elast together to form said icized vertical s'eams, in a fully stretched condition, will preferably be longer than the thickness of the said selected mattress. Preferably, said vertical seams are elasticized by means of elastic material sewn into each end of said sheet, a piece of said elastic material being sewn, in a stretched condition, from the inner end of a vertical seam, down the seam, across the adjacent end edge and up the other vertical seam adjacent to that end edge.

-r In another embodiment, said side portions are trapazoidal, and said end portion is substantially rectangular, but outwardly extended, thereby to form a pocket upon installation of said elastic.

1 In another broad aspect, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a fitted bed sheet, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a cut piece of material including: (i) a substantially rectangular main body portion of substantially the same dimensions as a selected mattress; (ii) side portions extending from the sides of said main body portion and terminating in longitudinal edges; (iii) end portions extending from the ends of said main body portion and terminating in end edges; said side and end portions being separated from one another by cut out portions defined by the lateral edges of the side and end portions; (b) folding said material on a line bisecting a said cut-out, so that a lateral edge of a said side portion is aligned with a lateral edge of an adjacent end portion; (c) folding said material on a line bisecting the cut-out adjacent the opposite end of the same end portion, so that the lateral edge of the other side portion is aligned with the lateral edge of the end portion, (d) sewing on elastic, in a stretched condition from one set of aligned lateral edges, along the adjacent end edge to the other aligned set of lateral edges, thereby to sew vertical seams between said side and end portions, said vertical seams being at least partially elasticized; (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) at the opposite end of the material, to obtain a fitted sheet.

In a preferred form of this method said vertical seams are elasticized along their entire length.

1 According to one way of carring out the method oil the present invention, said side and end portions are substantially rectangular, and said cut- outs are substantially square.

However, according to another way of carring out the present invention, said side sections are substantially trapazoidal, said end sections are substantially rectangular, and said cut-outs are substantially triangular.

In drawings which illustrate the present invention by way of example:

Ficure 1 is a plan view of one corner of a typical pattern for manufacturing a fitted sheet according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one corner of a prior art fitted sheet on a mattress;

Figure 3 is a plan view of one end of a pattern for a fitted sheet according to the first embodiment of the present invention; one corner of a fitted Figure 4 is a perspective view o sheet made from the pattern of Figure 3, on a mattress; Figure 5 is a plan view of one end of a pattern for a fitted sheet according to a second embodiment of the present invention; With reference first to the prior art, as typified by Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the basic fitted bed sheet pattern provides for opposed longitudinal edges 1 - (only one of which is shown), into which notches 3 are cut, and shorter, lateral or end edges 2 - (only one of which is shown). The sides of the notches are sewn together to form fitted corners, in the first stage of manufacture of a typical fitted sheet. Then, elastic 5 is sewn along the lateral edge 2. The elastic is, of course, stretched prior to being sewn into the edge, so that the sheet will fit snuggly onto a mattress onto which it is placed. In the example illustrated, elastic 5 is sewn into the end edge 2 only, but it may be sewn around the entire perimeter of the sheet, or in the corner regions only, with similar results.

As can be seen by the arrow in Figure 2, when a fit"ed sheet is tensioned, for instance by the weight of a person lying L on it, there will be forces pulling along the longitudinal edges 1 of the sheet, away from the corners. Since there is no elasticity in the seam of the sewn corner 4, this seam has a tendency to rip at its junction W with the longitudinal 1 and lateral 2 edges.

Referring next to Figures 3 and 4, a pattern for making a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The pattern shown in Figure 1 includes long edges 11, end edges 12 and substantially square corner cut-outs 13. It will be understood that while the corner cut-outs are square in a preferred embodiment, for ease of folding and sewing, they may be any other suitable shape, such as the notch shape of the prior art, shown in Figure 1 -

I To manufacture the sheqt of the present invention (the corner of which is shown in Figure 4), first a sheet blank, cut from the pattern of Figure 3, is folded-at one end along fold lines 16. These fold lines are, of course, only shown for illustrative purposes, and are the lines bisecting the angle of the cut-out, extended into the body of the sheet. When folded along the fold lines, the sides of the cut-out become aligned. An elastic is then stretched and aligned with the sides of the cut-out.-and whilst the elastic is in a stretched condition, it is sewn into the sheet, from the inner end of one cut-out (shown at A) down the associated corner seam, across the end edge and up the laterally opposite corner seam (B). It will be seen, then, that in one sewing operation, the two corners of one end of ttt-he fitted sheet are finished, and an elastic is installed in the end. Moreover, the elastic is also installed in the corner seam, so that if the corner is tensioned, it will give elastically, rather than rip. In this regard, it will be understood that the length of the sides of the cut-out 13, ought to be longer than the thickness of the mattress for which the particular fitted sheet being manufactured is intended. This is so the corner seam can h contract elastically after the sheet is fitted over the mattress, to snuggly engage the corner of the mattress and also ensure that there is some slack in the corner seam so that the seam can give elastically when tensioned.

Referring next to Figure 5 pattern of the present invention is 1 the cut-outs are notch-shaped, and, a second embodiment of the shown. In this embodiment, instead of being followed directly by a straight end edge as in the previously described embodiment, the cut-out is followed by a short longitudinal extension, which is then followed by the end edge. The fold-line still bisects the cut-out, though, and sewing is in one step per end, from the inner end of one cut-out, to the inner end of the opposite cut-out. The resultant sheet is provided with a bag-like pocket at each end. This type of sheet may be manufactured from narrower material than that of Figures 3 and 4. That is, the bag like pocket at each end of the sheet may be fitted around the end of a mattress, while the sides of the sheet do not extend down to the lower edges of the sides of the mattress. This results in an econgmical fitted sheet which cannot come off the mattress accidentally to,create a dangerous trap for an infant capable of crawling under a sheet but not, perhaps, of extracating itself.

It is to be understood that the examples described above are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention. It is expected that numerous variants will be obvious to the person skilled in the garment and linens manufacturing art, without any departure from the spirit of the present invention. The appended claims, properly construed, form the only limitation upon the scope of the present invention.

1 1 -a-

Claims

THE EMBODIMBINTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR

PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A fitted bed sheet including:

i) a substantially rectangular main body portion of substantially the same dimensions as a selected mattress; ii) side portions extending from the sides of said main body portion and terminating in longitudinal edges; iii) end portions extending from the ends of said main body portion and terminating in end edges; iv) substantially vertical corner seams joining the side portions to the adjacent end portions, each seam extending from an inner end at a corner of said main body portion to an outer end at the junction of a longitudinal edge and an end edge, said side edges and end edges thereby being joined together to define a perimeter; 1 elastic in at least a portion of said perimeter, to permit said sheet to fit snuggly around a mattress; characterized in that said vertical corner seams are at leas partly elasticized.

2. A fitted bed sheet as described in Claim 1, further characterized in that said end edges are the portion of said perimeter which is elasticized.

3._ A fitted bed sheet as described in Claim 2, further Characterized in that said vertical seams are elasticized along their entire length.

1 4. A fitted bed sheet as described in Claim 3, further characterized in that said side and end portions are substantially rectangular with lateral edges which are sewn together to form said seams.

5. A fitted bed sheet as described in Claim 4, further characterized in that said elasticized vertical seams, in a fully stretched condition, are longer than the thicxness of the said selected mattress.

6. A fitted bed sheet as described in Claim 5, further characterized in that said vertical seams are elasticized by means of elastic material sewn into each end of said sheet, a piece of said elastic material being sewn, in a stretched condition, from the inner end of a vertical seam, down the seam, across the adjacent end edge and up the other vertical seam adjacent to that end edge.

1 7. A fitted bed sheet as.described in Claim 3, further characterized in that said side portions are trapazoidal, and said end portion is substantially rectangular, but outwardly extended, thereby to form a pocket upon installIation of said elastic.

A method of manufacturing a fitted bed sheet, comprising the steps of:

A 1 1 providing a cut piece of material including:

a substantially rectangular main body portion of substantially the same dimensions as a selected mattress; ii) side portions extending from the sides of said main body portion and terminating in longitudinal edges; iii) end portions extending from the ends of said main body portion and terminating in end edges; said side and end portions being separated from one another by cut-out portions defined by the lateral edges of the side and end portions.

folding said material on a line bisecting a said cut-out, so that a lateral edge of a said side portion is aligned with a lateral edge of an adjacent end portion; If- c) folding said material on a line bisecting the cut-out adjacent the opposite end of the same end portion, so that the lateral edge of the other side portion is aligned with the lateral edge of the end portion; d) sewing on elastic, in a stretched condition from one set 1 of aligned lateral edges, along the adjacent end edge to 1 the other aligned set of lateral edges, thereby to sew vertical seams between said side and end portions, said vertical seams being at least partially elasticized.

e) repeating steps (c) and (d) at the opposite end of the material, to obtain a fitted sheet.

9. A method as described in Claim 6, wherein said vertical seams are elasticized along their entire length.

10. A method as described in Claim 9, wherein said side and end portions are substantially rectangular, and said cut-outs are substantially square.

11. A method as described in Claim 9, wherein said side sections are substantially trapazoidal, said end sections are substantially rectangular, and said cut-outs are substantially trianaular.

Published 1988 w, nne Paten- office -0 obta_,nez f,-c:n 7tc Patent Office StetC- Hc::sc- 66-1 H;C-- '_qo2bCr,,.. LonA Kent BR5 3RD- Printed kN '0pJeS May be Sales Branch. St Mary Cray, Orpington, 1, Multiplex techmqaes ltd, St Mary Cray. Kent. Con. 1,81 IQ 6